Seeking Mentorship as a Young Strength & Conditioning Coach
Collegiate Strength & Conditioning is an ever-changing, ever-growing field. As such, mentorship from both Strength & Conditioning coaches as well as others working within collegiate athletics is crucial for the development of young Strength & Conditioning Coaches. This presentation will look at the qualities a prospective intern or graduate assistant should look for in a Strength & Conditioning department and the interpersonal qualities one should look for in mentors specifically within Strength & Conditioning and collegiate athletics as a whole.
Shannon Phillips joined the UConn Sports Performance Staff in August of 2018. She is responsible for the program design and implementation for Men’s and Women’s Swimming & Diving as well as Men’s and Women’s Tennis. Shannon also assists with Softball, Volleyball and Track & Field. Prior to UConn, Shannon was a Graduate Assistant at Mississippi State University where she was responsible for Women’s Tennis and assisted with Softball and Volleyball. She worked with the #2 nationally ranked doubles pair and saw MSU Women’s Tennis tie a school record with 8 SEC victories. Shannon completed a Master’s Degree in Exercise Physiology and designed a Strength & Conditioning curriculum for her Directed Independent Study that she plans to implement with interns someday in the future. Prior to her experience at Mississippi State, Shannon completed internships at the University of Kentucky and Temple University. She was exposed to a wide variety of athletes from several different Olympic Sports including the National Champion University of Kentucky Cheer Squad. Shannon completed her Bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science from Eastern University located in the Philadelphia, PA suburbs. She was a member of the Women’s Volleyball Team and was a Division III NCAA Tournament participant three years in a row including a trip to the Elite Eight in 2013. Shannon is certified through the Collegiate Strength & Conditioning Association, the National Strength & Conditioning Association and USA Weightlifting.
